Two years ago, Lisa Layne was looking to earn some extra income. But as a new entrepreneur and the mother of two young children, Layne was looking for a part-time job with highly flexible hours.
She found what she was searching for as a brand ambassador -- someone who works at supermarkets promoting new or existing products, performing product demonstrations and/or giving out samples.
About two to three weekday or weekend days per month, the Torontonian is stationed at a Real Canadian Superstore or Walmart in the GTA, and explains the features and benefits of products such as cereal, meat, air freshener, pizza and pastry.
"I like the flexibility -- I can tailor my day and go to work in the evening if I'm doing a daytime demo," says Layne, 31, who is able to balance her shifts with her business, Youthbeatz, a Toronto-based children's dance school.
What Layne also enjoys about the job is the opportunity to interact with the public in a positive way.
"You get to meet different people every day. It's fulfilling making people happy -- everyone loves you! People follow you around the store," she says.
Layne is one of about 3,500 brand ambassadors who work for InStore Focus, Canada's largest sampling and demonstration company. Established in 1980 and handling more than 60% of annual sampling activity in Canada, the Mississauga-based company performs more than 100,000 demos and distributes about 20 million samples per year.
Ambassadors, or product specialists, promote brand name products such as Cheerios, Maxwell House coffee, Ritz crackers, Kraft Dinner and Oreos, and are typically able to convert one in four samples into a sale.
John Baird, president of InStore Focus, says the current compressed economy is leading more consumer products companies to spend less money on mass media marketing and more on his company's service.
"Our business is growing because there is more sampling activity. Companies are redirecting those marketing dollars back into stores, where they're getting a more immediate return on investment," Baird says. "It's all about trials, building brand awareness and increasing sales."
Typically attracting students and empty nesters, the job, Baird says, features an income of $10 to $15 per hour (based on experience) and affords employees a convenient way to make extra money, and also, the chance to be among the first to try out new products.
To learn more about how to join the InStore Focus team, visit instorefocus.com.
